The main precursor to the inception of OneByOne was a national conference sponsored by a PC(USA) church and Presbyterian Renewal Ministries. The conference, titled, "The Path to Freedom: Exploring healing for the Homosexual," was held in Rochester, NY in November 1994. The focus of the conference was two-fold: (1) to minister to those struggling with homosexuality; (2) to teach the Body of Christ how to support and minister to those seeking to come out of homosexuality. During this conference, church leaders from across the United States expressed a desire to establish a network of ministries to individuals struggling with their sexuality in other church settings.

A few months later, the Presbyterian Renewal Network tried a unique experiment. In response to the need for a non-political, ministry-oriented voice to address issues of sexual brokennesss within the PCUSA, they invited a group of PCUSA pastors, elders and lay people to pray and discuss how this need might be met. And, as a result of this January 1995 meeting, OneByOne was conceived.